Geology.— The greater part of the county rests on the eastern extremity of the great bed of flötz limestone that extends over the middle of the island, widening as it spreads westward. It rises in its southern part into a range of mountains, which forms the verge of an elevated district, extending thence for more than thirty miles to the south through the county of Wicklow. Through this tract a large body of granite passes in a south-western direction, commencing at Blackrock and passing by Dundrum and Rathfarnham, and forming the loftiest summit in the county, bounded on its eastern and western sides by incumbent rocks of great variety of structure and relations; micaceous schist exists at Killiney and Rathfarnham, and argillaceous schist, on both sides of the granite and quartz rock, in the eastern side alone, forming the promontory of Bray Head, and reappearing in the more northern part of the county, where it forms the picturesque peninsula of Howth, and rises to the height of 567 feet above the level of the sea. The country near Bray presents, within a small space, an instructive series of rocks; and at Killiney schistose beds are to be seeιr, of considerable extent, reposing on granite. Near Bυoterstown, a mass of compact limestone is visible within a few fathoms of the granite. Calp, or “black quarry stone,” a variety of limestone, is the prevailing rock in the immediate vicinity of Dublin, and is much used for building; and the granite of Dalkey and the neighbourhood is also much used for architectural purposes in the city and environs; quantities of it are exported to England. Petrifactions abound in many parts of the limestone country. In the peninsula of Howth gray ore of manganese, brown ironstone, and brown iron-ore occur in abundance.

Surface.— The northern portion of the county is flat, and the soil good, particularly on the borders of Meath; but on the southern side the land rises into elevations of considerable height. The mountains are chiefly covered with heath, except where a subsidence in the ground affords a nucleus for the formation of bog, with which about 2000 acres are covered. There are also a few small tracts of bog in the northern part of the county. The mountain district is well adapted for timber, to the growth of which some attention has lately been paid.

Coast.— The northern coast of the county from Balbriggan to Howth has generally a sandy shore, and affords omy the small harbours of Balbriggan and Skerries. In the promontory of Howth, the coast suddenly assumes a bolder aspect; and between the town of Howth and the picturesque rocky islet of Ireland’s Eye an artificial harbour has been constructed, at an expense of above one-third of a million sterling, which is useful only to vessels of small burthen, and those engaged in the fisheries. Soon after the harbour was finished it was discovered that a shifting sandbank was likely to render the refuge quite useless; and the slow but certain filling up of the harbour is made apparent at low tide. Kingstown harbour, on the south side of Dublin Bay, is by far the best in the county. It was commenced in 1816, and was not quite finished until 1859,—at a total expenditure of ,£825,000. A quay runs out into the harbour to a distance of 500 feet, at which vessels drawing 24 feet of water may unload at any state of the tide. The petty harbours of Bullock and Coolamore are on this coast, the former being quite dry save at high tide, and the mouth of the latter being much higher than the bed. Balbriggan is little better, and that at Skerries is hardly to be mentioned. Opposite Coolamore harbour lies Dalkey Island, and the sound between the island and the shore is held to be dangerous in certain conditions of weather. The island is 22 acres in extent, and stands about midway between Kingstown harbour and the beautiful bay of Killiney. North of Howth lies Lambay Island, about 600 acres in area, the property of Lord Talbot de Malahide. Shell-fish, especially lobsters, are caught here in abundance. Small islets lie not far off, the most interesting of which is that known as Inispatrick, noted as the spot upon which St Patrick first landed in Ireland, and where he built his first church. Ireland’s Eye, off Howth, is a very picturesque rock standing on about 54 acres of grass land. It has afforded great room for geological disquisition.

The fishery districts are Dublin and Howth. The chief stations are Howth and Skerries, the former of which is much used by the Manx and Cornish fishermen, who resort in considerable numbers to the harbour during the fishing season. Dublin Bay haddocks and herrings have long been esteemed, and justly, for their superior quality and flavour.

Hivers and Mountains.— The chief river in the county is the Liffey, which rises in the Wicklow Mountains about twelve miles south-west of Dublin, and, after running about 50 miles, empties itself into Dublin Bay. The course of the river is so tortuous that 40 miles may be traversed and only 10 gained in direction. The scenery along the banks of the Liffey is remarkable for its beauty. The mountains which occupy the southern border of the county are the extremities of the great group guarding the adjacent county of Wicklow. The principal summits are the Three Rock Mountain and Garry Castle, the former having an elevation of 1586 feet, and the latter of 1869; and the group formed by Kippure and the Seefin range, Kippure being 2527, and Seefin 2150 feet high. But the grandest features of these hills are the great natural ravines which open in them, the most extraordinary being the Scalp, through which the traveller passes from Dublin to Wicklow.

Agriculture.— Of the 226,895 acres which form the area of the county, 100,236 acres were returned in 1871 as under tillage, 91,503 as pasture, 4716 wood, 15,700 in towns, and 14,470 waste, bog, mountain, and water. The face of the county has indeed changed but little during the century, and the statistics as to the treatment of the soil exhibit an almost stationary result. The growth of the towns suburban to the city has made the only appreciable change, and that change has been not inconsiderable. The farms are in general small. Near Dublin, particularly on the southern side of the city, a very considerable portion of the county consists of ornamental grounds, and the rents are proportionately high.

The produce of the crops is generally greater than in any other county,—not so much on account of any natural superiority in the soil, as by reason of the facilities afforded by the neighbourhood of a large city, and the greater expenditure of capital on the land. Of cereals the principal crops are oats and wheat; and of green crops, potatoes. In live stock the county is particularly rich in proportion to its extent. The following tables give the acreage of crops and numbers of stock in 1873 and 1876 :— [table]

As regards the division of the land, the number of holdings in the county has somewhat diminished within recent years. In 1853, there were 9016 separate holdings, while in 1876 there were only 8792. According to the Owners’ Returns of 1876, the county was divided in 1874 among 4100 proprietors, of whom 2526, or 61 per cent., owned less than one acre of ground, a proportion almost identical with the average of Leinster. From the same authority it appears that the total area held amounted to 217,457 acres, giving an average of 53 acres per property (that of the province being 187); and the total valuation amounted to £686,794, giving an average of £3, 3s. 2d. per acre, as against 18s. 11⅛d. for the whole province. Fourteen proprietors owned more than 2000 acres each, and 57,969 acres in all, or 26∣ per cent, of the area, viz :— Charles Cobbe, 9662 acres; Earl of Howth, 7377; Sir C. C. W. Domville, 6252; George Woods, 4141; Sir Roger Bahner, 3991; Lord Langford, 3659; Ion Trant Hamilton, 3647; Mrs White, 3422; W. W. Hackett, 3198; Eyre Coote’s representatives, 3107; R. Q. Alexander, 2973, Earl of Pembroke, 2269; Lord Annaly, 2139; Marquis of Lansdowne, 2132.

The manufactures of the county are mainly confined to the city of Dublin and its neighbourhood. There is, however, a manufactory of cotton hosiery at Balbriggan of some importance.

Administration, &c.— There are nine baronies in the county:—1 and 2. Balrothery East and West, containing Rush and Lusk (population 1800), Skerries (2236), and Balbriggan (2332); 3. Coolock, containing Clontarf (3442), and several minor villages; 4. Nethercross, containing the ancient parliamentary borough of Swords (1008), and the village of Glasnevin; 5. Newcastle, con taining the village of Lucan, and Newcastle, which was represented in the Irish Parliament by two members; 6. Uppercross; 7. Rathdown, containing the towns of Dundrum (540), Blackrock (8089), Kingstown (16,378), Dalkey (2584), and Killiney (2290); 8. Castleknock, in which is situated the Phoenix Park; and 9. Dublin, containing the city and many outlying villages. The village of Donnybrook, famous for its fair and accompanying riotous pleasure, is now part of Pembroke township, one of the richest and most beautiful suburbs of the city.

The nine baronies, including the city, are divided into 99 parishes, all within the archdiocese of Dublin. The county proper, excluding the capital, contains 222,709 acres; the rateable property is valued at £700,854; the population at the last census (1871) was 158,936; and the number of houses, 28,803. Between 1841 and 1871 the increase of population was nearly 13 ’ 5 per cent., although between May 1851 and December 1871 there emigrated from the county 58,774 persons. In 1871, 70⅜ per cent, of the total population were Roman Catholics. In the city that denomination forms 7 9 per cent. The numbers of the last religious census were—Catholics, 111,964; Episcopalians, 39,289; Presbyterians, 2995; and various, 4688. There are two poor-law unions, Balrothery and Rathdown, but portions of the county are in unions situated in adjacent counties. The average daily number of paupers in the county workhouses in 1875 was 674.

Dublin is the head-quarters of the military district, and of the general commanding-in-chief and staff of Ireland.

The total number of children receiving education in 1824— 26 was reported in a parliamentary return to be 33,008. In 1853, there were 159 national schools in operation, attended by 28,799 children, and in 1876 there were 52,127 children attending the national schools.

Previous to the union with Great Britain, this county returned ten representatives to the Irish Parliament,—two for the county, two for the city, two for the university, and two for each of the boroughs of Swords and Newcastle. The number of representatives was reduced to five by the Act of Union, one member being withdrawn from the university, and the boroughs of Swords and Newcastle disfranchised. The Reform Act of 1832 restored the second member to the university, leaving the representation in other respects unchanged.

History.— It is stated by Ptolemy that the county Dublin was inhabited by the tribe of the Eblani, who dwelt for the most part in Meath county, but on their settling in Dublin founded the city Eblana, now presumed to be Dublin. Later writers affirm that the Eblani were driven out by the Danes, who held sway until the battle of Clontarf (1014) resulted in the overturn of their power. When the English landed, the people to the north of the Liffey were known among the Irish as Fingall, or white foreigners, and those living south of the river were called Dubhgall, or black foreigners. The Rev. Caesar Otway professed to be able to discern signs of the different races even as late as his day; but the modem observer will fail to catch any marks whereby different portions of the communitj may be distinguished.

In 1210, King John formed this district into a county, comprising the chief portion of country within the English pale. The limits of the county were, however, uncertain, and underwent many changes before they were fixed. Although so near the seat of government, 67,142 acres of profitable land were forfeited in the Rebellion of 1641, and 34,536^acres in the Revolution of 1688. In 1603 the boundaries were definitely marked, the country inhabited by the O’Tooles and the O’Byrnes being formed into the county of Wicklow. The absence of any considerable towns decreases the interest in Dublin county, and it has no historic fields to boast of. In 1867 the most formidable of the Fenian risings took place near the village of Tallaght, about seven miles from the city. The rebels, too numbered from 500 to 700, were found wandering at dawn, some by a small force of constabulary who, having in vain called upon them to yield, fired and wounded five of them; but the great bulk of them were overtaken by the troops under Lord Strathnairn, who captured them with ease and marched them into the city.

Sir John Forbes, a distinguished Scotch physician, who visited Ireland in 1852, speaks thus of the county in his Memoranda, :— “Without leaving the county of Dublin, the antiquary would have no difficulty in finding numerous objects of interest and instraction, casting light upon the early history of the country. Among the ancient raths, duns, or forts constructed by the native Irish or the Danes, and more probably by both people, for defence or security in positions of natural strength, improved by art and labour, several remain in this county. One at Raheny, although much reduced in its proportions, is still traceable; several yet more imperfect are faintly visible at Coolock; one near Lucan is furnished with the subterranean vaults and passages not unusually found in connection with the larger specimens; and another at Shankhill or Rathmichael, near the remarkable natural pass through the mountain called the Scalp, is of greater extent than the others, more commanding in position, and in close proximity to the ancient church, and supposed fragment of a round tower. Numerous sepulchral mounds of the same period also exist scattered throughout the county, occasionally somewhat similar in appearance to the raths, but generally smaller in extent, altogether artificial, and of conical form. Among its most interesting antiquities this county reckons three of the ancient round towers almost peculiar to Ireland,—one at Swords, another at Lusk, forming one of the angles of the church steeple, and a third in the highest state of preservation at Clondalkin.”

DUBLIN, the metropolis of Ireland, in the county of Dublin and province of Leinster, is a county in itself, and a municipal and parliamentary borough; the area of the former is 3808 aeres. It is distant 292 miles W.N.W. from

London, 138 miles W. from Liverpool, and 60 miles W. from Holyhead, in 53° 20' 38" N. lat. and 6° 17' 13" W. long., and is situated in the great central limestone district which stretches across the island from the Irish Sea to the Atlantic Ocean, on the River Liffey, extending to the junction of that river with the Bay of Dublin, the waters of which wash its south suburban shores.

In the reign of James II. the population of Dublin was 64,483; in 1728 it had more than doubled; in 1753 it was 161,000; in 1798 Whitelaw estimated it at 182,000; according to the first census (taken in 1821) it was 185,881; it was 232,726 in 1841, 254,808 in 1861, and 246,326 in 1871. This last decrease is due to ths recent increase in wealth and the consequent extra-city residence of the traders and merchants. The suburbs of Dublin have wonderfully improved within the past twenty years, and constitute at present the chief of the many attractions which the stranger is wont to admire. The outlying townships of Rathmines and Rathgar, Kingstown and Pembroke, Clontarf and Dalkey, are all inhabited by persons engaged in the commerce of the city. If we include these populations, the city may be said to contain about 330,000 souls. The parliamentary borough, whose limits are more extensive than those of the municipal borough, covers an area of 5501 acres, and contained in 1871 apopulationof 267,717 persons. It returns two members to the imperial parliament.

The rainfall is nearly 33 inches; rain or snow falls on 200 days per annum; and the wind blows from the N. or E. for 120 days. The average death-rate is 27 per 1000.

The plan of the city is singularly simple. The Liffey flows almost through the centre from west to east, and the bridges connect long lines of streets running north and south. The communications between the two sides of the city are ample, there being 9 bridges in a distance of about a mile and a half, and ferries for the two miles of shipping between the last bridge and the mouth of the river. Sackville Street is the finest avenue in Dublin; the houses, however, are not uniform, and the -street is not long enough for its width, while the Nelson Pillar, itself a beautiful object, blocks the view and interrupts the traffic. The memorial consists of a fluted Doric column 120 feet high, raised on a massive pedestal, the four sides of which show The Nile, Copenhagen, St Vincent, and Trafalgar. On the summit is a colossal statue of Nelson, surrounded by a balustrade, to which there is an ascent by a spiral stair. The O’Connell monument, almost completed by Foley before his decease, is destined for the southern end of Sackville Street; it will cost about £12,000. On the other side of the Liffey, across Carlisle Bridge, is Westmoreland Street, with the Bank of Ireland and Trinity College at its southern end. At right angles to Westmoreland Street is Dame Street, unquestionably the best street in the city. The houses are lofty and massive, and more than one of them colossal. At one end is Dublin Castle, and at the other the great front of the Bank and of Trinity college. The chief drawback to Dublin as a city is the sudden transition from magnificence to meanness, and in no part of it is there freedom from this displeasing contrast. Close by its every splendid edifice is a purlieu, with its unpleasant characteristics. In addition to this, the soil is so oozy that, after even a slight shower it is melted into far-spreading mudlakes, justifying the conjecture that Dublin was in old times the “Town of the Ford of Hurdles on the Blackwater.” The River Liffey, too, which ought to be a source of beauty, is rendered offensive by receiving the drainage of the city. There are numerous elegant houses in the suburbs, surrounded by well-kept gardens. The slighter rivers, the Tolka, the Dodder, and the Tongue, meander through a well-cultivated country; there is a noble supply of water for domestic purposes; and lines of tramway run from the heart of the city to every outlying district. Formerly Dublin was said to be bounded by the circular road, which is nine miles in extent; but the growth of the city has far outrun that limit. There are about 820 miles of streets in the borough under the control of the corporation; the valuation of the borough in 1871 (excluding exemptions, Government buildings, religious houses, &c.) amounted to £596,000; the number of houses inhabited was 23,896, uninhabited 1059, and building 87. The want of a Building Act in Dublin has resulted in the absence in many places of anything like uniformity in the frontage, height, or character of its buildings.

The condition of the various orders of the community is perhaps best shown by citing the census returns as to the number of families occupying the four different classes of houses. There were 5035 families in houses of the 1st class, 10,523 families in the 2d class, 16,819 in the 3d class, and 25,733 in the 4th class. The 58,110 families thus hold 23,896 houses. Another way of estimating Dublin society is by taking the occupations of the people. In 1871 there were 331 clergymen in Dublin, 286 barristers, 370 attorneys, 49 architects, 215 accountants, 4000 bootmakers, 1660 tailors, 19,500 domestic servants, 83 photographers, 1000 coachmen and cabmen, 1600 drapers and mercers, 1280 carmen and carriers, 936 cabinetmakers, 3500 clerks, 177 civil engineers, 394 fishmongers, 38 glovemakers, 1867 grocers, 11,530 labourers, 4590 milliners, 1477 printers, 31 sculptors, 223 watch and clock makers, 458 wine and spirit merchants.

Judges, lawyers, and doctors may be said to constitute the higher society of Dublin ; of the 182 peers of Ireland only two have residences in the capital.

The lord lieutenant lives in Dublin Castle in winter, and in the Viceregal Lodge, Phoenix Park, in summer. He is· assisted in the executive by a privy council, nominated by the Crown, and his chief secretary, who must have a seat in the House of Commons. Lords justices govern in the temporary absence of the lord-lieutenant—the lord chancellor, the commander-in-chief, and another privy councillor usually being appointed. Prior to the Act of 1869 disendowing and disestablishing the Irish branch of the Established Church, the archbishop of Dublin was invariably named a lord justice; but in future the archbishop may or may not have a seat at the Council Board.

Dublin is the seat of the Irish courts of law and equity, from which appeal lies only to the House of Lords. The judicial functions are exercised by the lord chancellor, a lord justice of appeal, a vice-chancellor, the master of the rolls, and four judges in each of the courts of Queen’s bench, common pleas, and exchequer. There are also judges (1) in the court of admiralty, (2) in the bankruptcy court, and (3) in the landed estates court for the sale and transfer of estates in Ireland. The recorder’s court determines civil bills and city criminal cases.

Local Government.— The municipality is under the government of the lord mayor and corporation. Previous to the Municipal Reform Act of 1840 the corporation consisted of the lord mayor, 2 sheriffs, 24 aidermen, 124 common councilmen, 28 sheriffmen, and 96 representatives of the 25 civic guilds. At present the corporation consists of 15 aidermen and 45 councillors, there being one aiderman and 3 councillors for each of the 15 wards into which the city is divided. An aiderman or councillor is annually elected lord mayor. The income of the body arises from rents en property, customs, and taxes. The yield in 1875 was £286,804, the expenditure £255,944, and the debt £337,476. Under an Act passed in 1875 the corporation have the right to forward every year three names of persons suitable for the office of high sheriff to the viceroy, one of which shall be selected by him. The lord mayor holds a weekly court for debts above 40s. and under £10, and for the settlement of cases between masters and servants. He is also clerk of the markets, and supervises weights and measures and deals with cases of adulteration. A court of conscience determines debts under 40s. and is presided over by the last ex-mayor. A competent fire-brigade is maintained by the corporation. The average number of fires per annum is between 50 and 60; 15 lives have been lost in ten years; and property to the value of £485,800 saved in the same period. The city coroner is a corporate officer. There were 292 inquests in 1875. Under an Act applicable only to Dublin the local rates are collected by a collector-general, and are distributed by him to the different authorities concerned.

Police.— The Dublin metropolitan'police is a force peculiar to the city. The remainder of Ireland is protected civilly by the Royal Irish Constabulary. The police are under the control of two commissioners, and consist of 7 superintendents, 76 inspectors, 641 sergeants, and 840 constables. A local police rate of 8d. in the £1 produces about £30,000 a year; and the taxes on hackney cars, drivers’ licences, pawnbrokers’ licences, and publicans’ certificates, and fines in the police courts, average about £16,000. These two sums (£46,000), together with a Treasury grant averaging £95,000 a year, maintain the force, and pay the commissioners and superior officers and the four police magistrates. The police are inspectors of the hackney carriages, which number nearly 2000. They carry out the laws affecting the sale of liquor, and the number of public houses in Dublin is 1012. A fair notion of the crime and offences committed in the city is afforded by the following statistics taken from official sources Number of persons arrested (1876), 42,439; number convicted either summarily or after tιial before a superior judge, 39,580; of those convicted 13,346 (8627 males and 4719 females) were charged with drunkenness; 88 persons were sentenced to penal servitude (68 for five years); and 400 were sent to jail. Quarter sessions are held in the city by the recorder; and a commission of oyer and terminer is held twice a year by two of the superior judges.

Military.— A large military force is usually maintained in the city of Dublin which is the headquarters of the military district of Dublin and of the staff of Ireland, consisting of the commander of the forces, adjutant-general, and quartermaster-general. The troops are accommodated in several barracks, the most extensive of which is the Royal Barracks, consisting of five squares, affording quarters for 10 field officers, 83 officers, 2000 non-commissioned officers and privates, and 460 horses, together with a hospital for 260 patients. Richmond Barracks, for infantry, occupies an elevated healthy situation, on the banks of the Grand Canal, beyond Kilmainham, forming a substantial fabric, with extensive courts and yards, covering altogether an area of 18 acres, and furnishing accommodation for 76 officers and 1600 non-commissioned officers and privates, stabling for 25 horses, and a hospital for 100 patients. Portobello barracks, for cavalry and artillery, is on the bank of the same canal, near Harold’s Cross, and can accommodate 30 officers and 520 men; it has stabling for 540 horses, and a large hospital. At Island Bridge, near Kilmainham, there is an extensive artillery barrack, and there is another for artillery at the Pigeon House Fort in the bay. Besides these, there are barracks for infantry in Great Ship Street, near the castle; at Aidborough House, a fine massive building erected in 1765 at a cost of £45,000; and at Beggar’s Bush, on the South Circular Road. In the Phoenix Park is Mackenzie’s Fort and magazine. The magazine is surrounded by a dry ditch, and is entered by a drawbridge. It is defended by a dozen 24-pounders.

Poor Law.— There are two poor law unions in the city—North and South, governed by two boards of guardians. The average daily number of paupers in both is 4832, and the annual expenditure of both £75,250.

Religion.— The following table shows the population of the different parishes in 1841, 1851, 1861, and 1871, and the number of Roman Catholics and Protestants of the Episcopal church in each parish (when part is mentioned, the rest of the parish is in Dublin county):— [table]

Besides the above mentioned religious denominations there were 4517 Presbyterians, 1828 Methodists, 189 Jews, and 4904 of “all other persuasions.” The proportion of Catholics to the total population was equal to 79 per cent.

Education.— The means of education in Dublin are ample. The incessant contests between the various religious denominations have had the effect of imparting energy to all engaged in teaching.

Trinity College, founded by Queen Elizabeth, is the greatest foundation in the country. The corporation now consists of a provost, 7 senior fellows, 26 junior fellows, and 70 scholars. Two studentships, one mathematical and one classical, have been recently added to the honour list. The successful competitor is entitled to £100 a year for seven years; there are no duties to be fulfilled and no residence is required. A vacancy among the fellows is filled up by the provost and a select number of the fellows, after a very severe examination for ten days in metaphysics, mathe matics, natural philosophy, ethics, history, chronology, Latin, Greek, and Hebrew. Fellowships are held for life. Until the year 1840 the fellows were bound to celibacy, but that restriction was then removed. The scholars are chosen from among the undergraduates, after an examination in mathematics or Greek and Latin. The pecuniary advantages attaching to scholarship lasts for four years. Students, after an examination, are admitted as fellow-commoners, pensioners, or sizars; the last class is limited to thirty, and is partially maintained out of the College funds. Noblemen, noblemen’s sons, and baronets have the privilege of forming a separate order with peculiar advantages, on the payment of additional charges. The course of general instruction extends over four years, the principal studies of each year being successively mathematics, logic, natural philosophy and astronomy, classics, and ethics; and four commencements are held every year for the purpose of conferring degrees. A medical school is attached to the university, and also a school of civil engineering; and diplomas in surgery and civil engineering are granted by the board on the completion of the prescribed courses. The library, which is one of the four scheduled in the Copyright Act, consists of about 190,000 printed volumes and 1500 manuscripts; and the number is increased annually by about 2000 volumes, partly purchased and partly obtained free under the Act. There are also a botanic garden and a museum. The funds of the College, arising from lands and the fees of the students, are managed solely by the provost and seven senior fellows, who form a board, to which and to the Academic Council the whole government of the university, both in its executive and its legislative branches, is committed. The buildings, which include a large extent of ground, now nearly in the middle of the city, consist of one very large and two smaller squares. In these are the chapel, the hall for examinations, the museum, the library, the dining hall, the printing office, and chambers for the fellows and students. Attached to the buildings is a large park for the recreation of the students, and a smaller enclosure for the provost and fellows. The provost’s residence and the medical school are apart from the main body of the buildings. The college observatory is at Dunsink, about five miles north-west of Dublin; it is amply furnished with astronomical instruments. It was endowed by Dr Francis Andrews, provost of Trinity College, was erected in 1785, and in 1791 was placed by statute under the manage ment of the Royal Astronomer of Ireland, an appointment first filled by Dr Henry Ussher, and subsequently by Dr Brinkley, bishop of Cloyne. The Magnetical Observatory of Dublin was erected in the years 1837-8, in the gardens attached to Trinity College, and at the expense of the university. A series of observations was begun in 1838, and has been continued ever since. The annual income of Trinity College is set down as about .£65,000 a year. The average number of students on the books is about 1300. By an Act passed in 1873, known as Fawcett’s Act, all tests were abolished, and the prizes and honours of all grades hitherto reserved for Protestants of the Established Church were thrown open to all. Examinations for women are now held under the direction of the College.

The Queen’s University, founded in 1850, has quarters in Dublin Castle; but the three colleges are in Cork, Belfast, and Galway. Dublin has no share in the advantages of the university, which are considerable.

The Roman Catholic University derives its entire support from voluntary contributions. There is an annual collection on a certain Sunday in November, and this realizes about .£8000. The management is in the hands of the Catholic bishops. The medical school in connection with the university has attained great repute in Ireland.

The Royal College of Science, controlled by the Science and Art Department, is conducted by ten professors. The number of students is seldom greater than 30, amongst whom four royal scholarships and nine royal exhibitions (value £50 for two and three years respectively) are divided. The Parliamentary grant is £6902 per annum. The Royal Dublin Society and the Royal Irish Academy are devoted to science and art. The one receives £7500 a year, and the other £2480. The Royal Hibernian Academy has £300, and the National Gallery £2340 a year. The Zoological Society, having its gardens in the Phoenix Park, has £500 a year.

Schools.— Tn 1871 there were in the city 336 schools—257 primary and 79 superior. In attendance at the primary were 19,782 Boman Catholics, 4602 Episcopalians, and 842 Presbyterians and others; in attendance at the superior are 1491 Boman Catholics, 2334 Protestants, and 566 Presbyterians and others. This gives a general total of 29,617

The education of all classes in Dublin is shown in the following figures :—-in 1871, 150,581 of seven years and upwards could read and write, 24,224 could read but could not write, and 35,633 were illiterate.

Charities. — Dublin can boast a goodly number of charities. There are 113 charitable institutions, some for the deaf and dumb, the blind, the destitute, the distressed, the unemployed; some for the education of the reduced, and for the sons and daughters of clergymen; and some for orphans, for idiots, for convalescent patients. The Drummond Institution, for the orphan daughters of soldiers, was established in 1864 by a Scotch gentleman named Drummond, who left £20,000 to found the asylum. The Hospital and Free School of King Charles I., commonly called the Blue Coat School, was founded 1670. The school buildings are very handsome, and cost £21,0C0. The annual income is £4000 a year. The education afforded to 120 boys is of a very superior character. Before the Irish Parliament Houses were erected the parliament met in the school building. Molyneux Asylum for the blind, a splendid building near the city boundary, affords refuge and instruction to 70 females. There are 30 hospitals, of which the chief are—The Westmoreland Lock, parliamentary grant £2600; Steevenβ, parliamentary grant £1300, donations, &c., £4177; the Meath, parliamentary grant £600, city grant £750, donations £1913; Cork Street Fever, parliamentary grant £2500, donations £1293; House of Industry Hospitals (3), parliamentary grant £7472, donations £693; Botundo Lying-in, parliamentary grant, £700, city £300, donations £2342; Coombe Lying-in, parliamentary grant £200, city £260, donations £2167; Incurables, parliamentary grant £250, city £150, donations £6000; St Mark’s Eye and Ear, parliamentary grant £100, city £100, donations £735. These 11 hospitals in 1875 admitted 9645 patients, and received from Parliament £15,722, from the city authorities £1560, from subscriptions £19,353. Total income of all £36,635. Of the houses supported by voluntary contributions the Adelaide (Protestant), the Mater Misericordiae, St Vincent’s, and the City of Dublin hospitals are the most important. Lunatics are maintained in St Patrick’s Hospital, founded in 1745, pursuant to the will of Dean Swift, and conducted by governors appointed under the charter of incorporation. The Richmond Lunatic Asylum, erected near the House of Industry, and placed under the care of officers appointed by Government, receives patients from a district consisting of the counties of Dublin, Lonth, Meath, and Wicklow, each of these contributing towards its expenses in proportion to the number of patients sent in. Besides these public establishments for the recovery and safe custody of lunatics, there are in the vicinity of Dublin various private asylums. The principal institution for the blind is Simpson s Hospital, founded by a merchant of Dublin. The income is upwards of £2500 per annum, by which fifty patients are maintained in a large plain edifice situate in Great Britain Street. The apartment can accommodate a hundred inmates. The Richmond National Institution in Sackville Street was founded in order to instruct the blind in some of the more useful handicraft occupations. The principal branches taught are weaving, netting, and basket-making. An institution for the maintenance and education of children born deaf and dumb is maintained at Claremont, near Glasnevin. The plan of the Royal Hospital, for decayed and maimed soldiers, was first suggested by the earl of Essex, when lord lieutenant, and carried into effect through the repeated applications of the duke of Ormond to Charles II. The site chosen for it was that of the ancient priory of Kilmainham, founded by Strongbow for Knights Templars. The building, completed in 1684, according to a plan of Sir Christopher Wren, is an oblong 306 feet by 288, three sides of which are dwelling-rooms, connected by covered corridors. The fourth contains the chapel, the dining hall, and the apartments of the master, who is always the commander of the forces for the time being. The Roman Catholic Church has charge of a number of special charities, some of them educational and some of them for the relief of suffering.

Libraries, <tc. — The principal library in Dublin, for the number and value of its books, is that of Trinity College. It is open of right only to graduates of that university, but admission is obtainable by others by special favour. It contains about 190,000 printed volumes, and. 1500 manuscripts. The King’s Inns Library is next in value. The right of reading in it is confined to the members of the King’s Inns Society,—that is, to barristers, attorneys, and law students. Marsh’s Library, attached to St Patrick’s Cathedral by the munificent bequest of Primate Marsh, archbishop of Armagh, and incorporated in 1707, contains a good collection of theological works, and is open to the public; but, from the very small portion of its funds appropriated to purchase, it is very deficient in modern publications. It possesses some valuable manuscripts. The want of a library easily accessible, and provided with the works most in request, was attempted to be supplied by a society formed in 1791 (the Dublin Library Society), which collected a large number of books in a handsome and well-arranged building in D’Olier Street. Attached to the library is a fine reading-room, well supplied with newspapers. The Library of the Royal Dublin Society contains upwards of 12,000 volumes. It is particularly rich in works on botany, and in those relating to Ireland. It has likewise a gallery of statuary, in which are casts from the Elgin marbles. The library, museum, and gallery are open to the public,—in happy contravention of the rules, which have been strained in the laudable direction of popularizing self-instruction. The Royal Irish Academy’s Library is valuable of its kind. It contains many ancient manuscripts, and works dealing with science and antiquities.

Public Buildings. —'Dublin has several noble edifices. The first and greatest is the Bank of Ireland, formerly the House of Parliament, which occupies five acres. There are three fronts. The principal, towards College Green, a colonnade of the Ionic order, formed of a façade and two projecting wings, is much admired for the noble simplicity of its elevation. The western front, a portico of four Ionic columns, is connected with the other by a colonnade of the same order, forming the quadrant of a circle. The eastern front, which was the entrance of the House of Lords, was, by their special wish, a colonnade of the Corinthian order, which the architect found great difficulty in uniting with the other parts. The apartment for the lords, a fine room, is hung with tapestry. That of the commons, having been burned in 1792, was reconstructed after a more elegant design, in the form of a circle surrounded by pillars, between which was a gallery for hearers. This fine hall was taken down by the bank directors, and converted into a square room, now the cash-office. The House of Lords remains in its original condition, and is but seldom used.

Trinity College is in itself a source of legitimate pride to the city. The front is plain and massive. The inner courts are large and well proportioned. On the left is the examination hall, containing full length portraits of the queen founder, of Molyneux, of Edmund Burke, Bishop Berkeley, and other celebrities. On the right stand the chapel and the dining hall, side by side, the former having a very handsome interior, and the latter having portraits of Grattan, Flood, Yelverton, Lord Ross, Lord Kilwarden, and other famous Irishmen. In the centre of the court stands a beautiful campanile. The library contains a gallery 21C feet in length, 41 in breadth, and 40 in height. There are also new buildings in the inner court, in character with the general splendour of the place. The provost’s house close by is one of the finest in the city.

Dublin Castle presents a rather motley appearance. The greater portion of it is dingy, being built of brick; but the chapel and tower are very handsome. The castle stands on ten acres, but the apartments are small, with the exception of St Patrick’s Hall, which is used on the occasion of investing knights of the order of St Patrick.

The custom-house is considered one of the chief ornaments of the city. It was erected at a cost of about <£400,000, and opened in 1791. It stands on the north side of the river below Carlisle Bridge, and presents four fronts, three of which may be seen to advantage. The south front, facing the river, 375 feet in length, is built of Portland stone, finished in the Doric order, with an entablature and bold projecting cornice. The other three fronts are composed of granite, and from the centre rises a dome to the height of 125 feet, surmounted by a figure of Hope.

The Four Courts, in which the superior courts are held, stands on the site of the ancient Dominican monastery of St Saviour, on King’s Inn Quay. It is an extensive and imposing structure, erected between the years 1786 and 1800, at a cost of £200,000.

The city hall, formerly the royal exchange, is a handsome building. It is in possession of the corporation, and is used for municipal purposes. The centre hall contains statues of George III., of Grattan by Chantrey (a superb work), of O’Connell by Hogan, of Lucas, and of Drummond.

The post-office stands in Sackville Street. It is built of granite, and is about 120 feet high, 225 in length, and 150 in depth. The centre of the front consists of a boldly projecting portico of six fluted Ionic columns, supporting an entablature and cornice; on the apex is a figure of Hibernia, and Mercury and Fidelity at the sides. The first stone was laid in 1815, and the cost of the pile was <£50,000.

Churches.— St Patrick’s Cathedral, a noble edifice, was restored by the late Sir Benjamin L. Guinness, Bart., at a cost of £130,000; Christ Church Cathedral is now in course of restoration by Mr Henry Roe, and the estimated cost is much over £100,000; Mr Roe has also presented a synod house to the Church of Ireland at a cost of £27,000; the late Mr Findlater gave the Presbyterian body a beautiful church which he erected at a cost of £16,000; the Roman Catholics have raised about 16 magnificent edifices in the last twenty years; most of the Protestant parish churches have been either rebuilt or restored; the Unitarians have two houses, one of them of noble aspect; and the Methodists, the Moravians, the Friends, the Baptists, and the Jews have all provided themselves with suitable places of worship. There are no less than 93 churches of all denominations and a synagogue in Dublin, and at least 70 of these are beautiful modern buildings.

The two cathedral churches of St Patrick and Christ Church are superior to all other edifices in character and interest. The foundation of Christ Church, the older building of the two, is attributed to the Danes in 1038; but it dates its elevation to a deanery and chapter from 1541. The entire length of the nave and choir is 260 feet, that of the transept 110 feet, and the extreme breadth of either 80 feet. Christ Church does not contain many monuments. Among the most interesting is that of Strongbow, the invader of Ireland, whose tomb was long the place at which the tenants of the church lands were accustomed to pay their rents. The monument was injured by the fall of one of the cathedral walls; but it was afterwards repaired, and is still to be seen in good preservation, with a smaller tomb by its side, supposed to be that of Stro